


A Child's Honesty

by Les7091



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Caretaker Castiel (Supernatural), I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Tags Are Hard, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-05 05:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17912987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Les7091/pseuds/Les7091
Summary: When dealing with witches, if you act like a child, you end up being treated like one, which Dean learns the hard way. Can Sam and Cas handle the brutal honesty of a kid?





	1. Chapter 1

Fucking witches! Always with the fucking witches, messing with their lives and making things so much more difficult!

Sam did tell Dean not to agitate her, but it was still that bitch's idea to put a spell on him. Sam almost couldn't believe it when he saw what she had done to his older brother before vanishing.

"Sam I wanna sucker" Dean asked

"No, Dean you've already had three" Sam insisted, annoyed. He had never dealt with his brother like this before. Dean was supposed to be four years older than him, after all. But now he got to see his brother as a stubborn, annoying, loud four year old.

After Dean saw a bowl of suckers in the office of the motel, he kept asking for one. For an entire hour, he asked every minute on the minute. Sam finally gave in a went to grab a handful. In the two minutes he was gone, Dean trashed the room and then continued to demand suckers.

Sam just wanted to research. He only wanted to read enough to turn his brother back to normal. Of course, a sugar filled toddler made that impossible. He was running around the room, singing some stupid song over and over.

"Dean! Shut the hell up, man!" Sam finally lost his patience with the kid, but that was a mistake

"You yelled at me!" Dean shouted, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Yeah, 'cause you keep talking and babbling and tapping and running and singing!" Sam knew Dean wasn't understanding why he was so angry, but he wasn't used to children. Dean has always been good with kids, oddly enough. Sam, however, not so much.

"I want Catteal!" Dean suddenly demanded.

"What?"

"Cat! Teal!"

"I still don't know what you're saying!" Sam had never been so frustrated with his brother, and that was saying something

"Cas!" Dean screeched, stomping his foot

"Oh... Castiel"

"Yes! Catteal!"

"We don't need Cas right now. If you'd leave me alone, I probably could have already found a way to fix you" Sam didn't like calling Cas unless he had to. He liked the Angel, but he got this sense that he thought Sam was incompetent sometimes.

"I want Cas!"

"No"

"Cas!"

"No!"

Dean took a deep breath before letting out the loudest, most blood curdling scream. Good thing they were the only ones staying in the tiny motel, as Sam had to press his hands over his ears to dim the sound.

He didn't even hear the flutter of wings that announced Cas' arrival. He only noticed the sudden silence.

"Cas!" Dean ran, excitedly, to the Angel and put his arms up, demanding to be picked up. Cas did so, hesitantly, and looked to Sam for an explanation.

"Ugh... Witches" was all Sam said

"What happened?" Cas asked. Now that Dean was held by Cas, he was the ideal child, smiling while nuzzling into the angel's neck.

"He kept irritating her and wouldn't shut up when she told him to. She said he was behaving like a child... And here we are" Sam explained, sitting on the bed and massaging his temples.

"Have you found anything on how to reverse it?" Cas finally asked

"No, I haven't been able to think straight!" Sam was absolutely exasperated "I'm going to the library to research. You stay with the kid" He quickly began gathering his things, determined to be out the door before Cas could argue "We don't have any food here, but I'll leave some money so you can get him something. Knowing Dean, he should be demanding food in about twenty minutes" keep talking so he can't argue, Sam told himself

"I'll be back before dark, hopefully I will have found something on fixing Dean. Good luck"

His plan worked. He continued to cut off Cas until he had everything he needed and was out the door and to the car before Cas could fully comprehend what being left alone with a four year old meant.

After Sam was gone, Cas just stood in surprised shock for a moment. What the hell just happened? How'd he get stuck playing babysitter? He didn't know how to care for a toddler!

"I missed you!" Dean suddenly said, snuggling his face into Cas'

"I've missed you as well...What do we do now?" Surely he didn't want to remain in Cas' arms for hours?

"I wanna watch TV!" Little Dean wiggled down to the floor, ran to the bed and leapt, only just making it high enough to land on the bed. He crawled over to the remote before looking to Cas and patting the spot next to him

"You get ta sit nex ta me" He said with a huge grin on his face. Cas only sighed and sat "I wanna watch 'pongebob!"

"Then turn it on Dean, watch whatever you like" Dean took the remote and waved it in Cas' face

"You gotta turn it on! I can't read. Duh!" Dean had lost none of his attitude, if anything he had gained a little.

"Right. My apologies" Cas said, taking the remote and searching through the guide for Spongebob. He didn't know what it was, but if it would keep Dean busy, he would watch it.

Which was a mistake. Half an hour later, Dean was dancing around the room and singing as loudly as he could

"C-A-M-F-R-E-S-N-G-SONG!" It was the only part of the song he remembered, at least somewhat, so he felt the need to repeat it a few hundred times

"Dean! Can we please find something else to do?" Cas was desperate to change the subject

"I'm hungry!" Not that subject!

"What do you want?"

"A krabby patty!" Dean was quick to answer

"Dean, those aren't real"

"But I want it!"

"Dean.. okay, I have an idea. Come here" Cas picked up the toddler and teleported them to the nearest McDonald's.

"Yay! But I don't wanna reglar cheese burger, I wanna krabby patty" Dean told Cas as they walked in the door

"I'm sure they have them here" Cas prayed to anyone who would listen that his plan would work

"I need a kids meal" he told the woman at the counter

"Chicken nuggets or cheeseburger?" She asked. Cas cleared his throat and leaned in a little

"I need a krabby patty" he told her.

"I gotcha" she told him with a wink. Oh thank Dad. "He's very cute, by the way. What's your name, little man?"

"I'm Dean!" He told her happily "dis is Cas, he's a angel" Cas quickly looked at him in surprise, but the woman just laughed

"I'm sure he is. And I'm sure you are too"

Dean was pretty well behaved while he ate, though he did get a little upset when he asked for ice cream, but the machine was broken.

"Happy now, Dean?" Cas asked as they cleaned up

"I want pie!" Of course he did. Cas glanced at the menu and noticed they had pies

"They've got pie here, Dean"

"Is too little. I wanna big pie" he held his little arms out wide to show how big he wanted it.

"So we have to go to a store" Cas sighed before taking Dean's hand and leading him outside and away from public view before flying them to the store he saw down the road.

"Yay, Pie!" Dean shouted before running into the store and away from Cas

"Dean, wait!" By the time Cas entered the store, Dean was nowhere to be found. After frantically searching for about ten minutes, Dean appeared, grabbing Cas' hand and leading him through the store

"Dean do not run from me again" Cas demanded

"But look what I found!" Dean finally stopped in front of a stuffed animal display. He grabbed a small blue bear and held it up towards Cas

"Yeah, I want this one" he told him

"A blue bear? That is illogical. For what evolutionary purpose would a bear be blue? And what is this human obsession with deadly animals? Why teach a child from a young age that bears are friendly? They could kill you" Cas realized he was rambling and the toddler obviously didn't care what he was saying. "Why not the cat, Dean?" He then suggested

"I'm 'llergic ta cats, Cas!" Dean whined "and I want this one" he hugged the bear tight.

"Why?" Cas knew it didn't matter why, but he was curious. Dean held the bear up again.

"Matches your eyes" Dean said with a huge grin

Cas couldn't help but smile a little at that. He reached down and took Dean's hand, leading him back to the front of the store

"Okay, Dean. Let's go find your pie"


	2. Chapter 2

Cas didn't usually feel the need to sleep, but after dealing with Dean, he was exhausted. Good thing, by this point, Dean was too.

"I don wanna sleep" He told Cas when he suggested bedtime

"You need to, Dean, you're tired" Cas told him

"Am not" he tried to suppress his yawn, but it wasn't working

"Yes you are, get into bed" Suddenly Dean started sniffling and his little bottom lip started to shake

"Don't make me go to sleep, Cas" He said desperately

"Why, what's wrong?" Cas asked.

"I see bad things when I sleep... I do bad things" he whispered

"Dean, it's fine. It's just a dream"

"No... Mem-ries... Hell" Dean continued to whisper, fearing saying it louder would bring them to life.

"Oh, Dean" Cas couldn't help but feel heartbroken for the boy. He was still the Dean he raised from perdition, but in the body of a kid.

"Lay with me?" Dean then asked. He didn't want to sleep, but he was so sleepy.

"Okay. Lie down" Dean did as he was told and Cas lay next to him. Dean scooted as close and he could and wrapped his arms around his angel, nearly laying on top of him.

"I'll keep the bad dreams away, Dean" Cas promised gently

"Okay... I love you, Cas" Dean muttered against Cas' chest "Always and always. Even when I'm big again"

Cas wasn't sure how to respond to that. He had observed before that children were brutally honest... Could Young Dean be expressing thoughts his older self wouldn't?

It didn't really matter right now.

"I love you too, Dean"

When Sam returned, late that night, he could help but smile at his older younger brother, curled against Cas, who also managed to fall asleep. He was cute, but the tiny asshole had to go. Sam was so glad he found a reversal spell, but they could worry about that in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

"C-M-F-R-E-S-G SONG!" Dean was singing that song... Wrong... Again... At five am. Sam was sure he was going to have to kill him.

"Please shut him up" Sam groaned, rolling over and wrapping a pillow around his head

"Dean, can't you sing a different song?" Cas begged. Dean stopped and considered it for a moment before shaking his head

"No, I like this one" he said

"I'm getting the ingredients for the spell" Sam decided, jumping out of bed and nearly running out the door. Good thing he didn't bother to take his clothes off last night.

Of course Sam also hadn't told Cas about the spell, so he was left confused and wishing he could help. Instead of helping, however, he was being given a headache.

"Okay, so we have all the ingredients for the spell" Sam said, carrying in a large bowl full of ingredients

"What kind of spell is it?" Cas finally got to ask

"It's just a general reversal spell. It's pretty vague as to what kinds of spells it'll reverse, but it is very strong. I couldn't find anything more specific that applied to our... Situation"

"Okay, it's at least worth a try" Cas agreed

Which was much easier said than done when they informed Dean they would need some of his blood for the spell. He screamed and immediately sought shelter in Cas' arms.

"Come on, now, Dean. Don't you want to be big again?"

"No! Being big is hard! And scary. Being big got me in hell. I don't wanna be big again" Dean began crying and gripped Cas tighter. Sam looked even more annoyed; he really was terrible with children, but Cas was heartbroken.

"Dean. I know it's scary. I was scared when I was sent to retrieve you from hell. And I was scared to then obtain a vessel"

"You? You never scared" Dean was amazed. Cas didn't get scared. He was a righteous angel, why would he be scared of anything?

"I'm scared often, I just don't express it well. You know what I'm most scared of?"

"What?"

"Losing you"

"I'm scared of that too" Dean whispered

"I'm also scared of not having you as the man I've known all these years" Cas hinted at the toddler. Dean sighed heavily and held his arm out, but looking away, pressing his face into Cas' neck.

"I'll make it all better as soon as we're finished" Cas whispered in his ear before nodding to Sam.

Dean whined loudly, but thankfully didn't scream again when Sam ran the knife across his tiny forearm. The spell didn't require much blood, so it was over quickly and Cas healed the wound.

Sam said the spell and there was a bright flash of light.

"Nothing happened" Cas said when the light died down. He still had a slightly upset child sitting in his lap.

"Yeah, I figured it might take a while to take full effect because it's not very specific. I also read it takes up a lot of energy, so he might go back to sleep" Sam was so relieved when he read that. "I'm going back to the library to see if I can find anything else, in case this ends up not working. You think you'll be okay?" Sam asked, reluctantly.

"Yes, I believe so. He's already looking close to sleeping again" Cas had a feeling he would regret this later, but after seeing Dean curled up and holding his bear, he couldn't say no.


	4. Chapter 4

When Dean woke up, his entire body ached. It felt like someone had overstretched all his muscles. He suddenly remembered what happened and a pang of embarrassment surged through him.

God did all that really happen? He demanded suckers and a teddy bear. He screamed at his brother and cried when he was yelled at.

He told Cas he loved him!

Would Cas mention it? He did say he loved him back, but Dean was a kid. It would be different now that he was back to normal.

But did he really want that? He did love Cas, but he always refused to acknowledge in what way. It wasn't quite like a brother, but he wasn't gay. Maybe.

Being a kid was actually kind of nice. He never worried about this stuff then. He only worried about SpongeBob and suckers. The good ole days.

He finally decided he would only talk about it if Cas brought it up, and hesitantly opened his eyes. He was surprised to see Cas sleeping next to him. What he hadn't noticed before was their hands intertwined. It was... Nice.

"Good to have you back, Dean. Look what you did to poor Cas, he's been exhausted" Sam said from the other bed

"Shit, man, I didn't see you there" Dean turned a little red and looked away, worried Sam saw the way he was looking at Cas. Hopefully he couldn't see their hands.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" Sam asked

"Yeah... I remember all of it" Dean admitted

"You were the biggest asshole. You owe me a beer. Actually, more like a twelve pack for that nightmare"

"Sure" Dean muttered, rolling his eyes. He wasn't that bad...

"So, you gonna tell me what the deal is with you and Cas?" Sam suddenly asked after a bout of silence

"What does that mean?" Dean's heart started pounding. Sam wasn't there when he told Cas he loved him!

"The way you looked at him as a kid, and the way you acted around him"

"So? I was a kid..." He didn't sound convincing, even to himself

"Well I'm going to leave before Cas wakes up so you can have your moment all alone. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you should act more like you did yesterday towards him. It could make you both happier. Tell him how you feel" Dean didn't reply as his brother left, he only grumbled to himself, annoyed by Mr. Know-it-all.

Then he looked at Cas and stopped. He wished he could be more like he was as a child. He hadn't cared, then, what anyone thought. He loved his angel and that was that. But he was a grown man now, and the thought of what his dad would have thought made him feel sick.

Dad was gone now. Dean had times when he felt the need to constantly remind himself of this. Dad was gone. His opinions didn't matter anymore.

After hesitating for a moment, Dean gently ran his fingers across the stubble on Cas' cheek. He didn't wake, but his grip on their intertwined fingers tightened and he leaned into the touch. Dean didn't know what he would say to him. He would never admit it to anybody, but he just wanted to spend another day curled up in Cas' lap.

"Cas... I'm sorry I'm so confused" the words just started to fall out. If he was going to get tongue tied and confused, he'd best do it while Cas was asleep "My dad just... My dad never would have approved. He would have been pissed, actually... But dad's not- he's not here. What he thinks- would have thought- doesn't matter. What does matter is you. You make me happy Cas. You make me smile when I think it's not possible. You saved my soul. Like you say, we have a profound bond. For a long time I didn't understand what you meant, but now... You're absolutely right. You're my best friend, Cas and I... I lo... Fuck. Fuck" Dean was getting upset with himself, so he left, climbing out of the bed gently and quietly leaving the room, even though he felt like slamming the door. It wasn't Cas' fault he was so fucked up.

Cas waited about five minutes before he finally opened his eyes, hoping it had just been a dream; but it wasn't.

Dean couldn't say it, even when he believed nobody would hear it. Standing, Cas straightened out his coat before finding Sam. There was no use keeping him out and about now that Dean was back to normal.

Of course, Cas found Sam at the library, surrounded by books.

"Hello, Sam" Cas said, sitting at the table

"Hey... How's Dean?" Sam asked, suggestively

"I heard what you told him before you left... He couldn't say it... Even when he thought I was asleep" Cas muttered, staring down at the table.

"What an ass! I'll talk to him, Cas, after yesterday and the way he-"

"Sam, he was a child. I know that. If he no longer has the type of feelings he has for me then, so be it. If he does and just can't bring himself to say it, so be that as well. I will not force him" Cas didn't wait for an reply from Sam, he just got up and left, going back to the hotel. He was surprised to see Dean was already back. He would have guessed Dean went to a bar to drink his problems away.

"Cas! Where'd you go?" He asked, looking greatly concerned

"I was checking on Sam. How are you feeling?"

"That doesn't matter right now. I needed time to get my nerves figured out. I was almost ready, but then you were gone. But I'm ready now" Dean was really nervous looking, and not standing still. Cas didn't want to watch Dean chicken out of telling him how he felt again

"Dean, you were just a child, you don't need to say anything about what happened yesterday" Cas told him, hoping he would then drop it

"You're right Cas" Dean seemed to calm, and took a big breath in "I can't say anything. I'm not good at saying things like this. But I can show you" Cas was confused, and his head cocked to the side as he thought about it, but he didn't get a chance to think before Dean's lips were suddenly pressed firm against his own.

"Am I not good at that anymore either?" Dean asked, horrified, when Cas didn't respond to his kiss. He started stuttering words out, trying again to voice his feelings before Cas couldn't take it anymore.

He grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly pulled their bodies together again, kissing him gently by contrast.

Dean was right, Cas could feel all his love for him in that one gentle kiss

Dean really hated witches, but if he ever saw this particular witch again, he'd have to thank her... Then blow her brains out.

The End


End file.
